At the urging of town conservation agent Jennifer Carlino, selectmen plan to appoint a committee in the next month that will be asked to identify problems with the town’s rivers and streams and coming up with solutions. The increasing presence of invasive plants has been a major concern in past years, along with water quality, which is being compromised by inadequate septic systems, storm-water runoff, and use of fertilizers. Norton isn’t the only town grappling with water quality issues. Halifax health agent Cathleen Drinan recently sent out a letter to officials in Hanson, Halifax, and Pembroke suggesting a committee similar to the one being established in Norton. It would study ways of improving water quality in the Monponsett Ponds, whose shores lie in all three towns. - Christine Legere